Hope to Lie (DeSantos Book 2)
Page 25
“Then I’ll stalk you, show up at every one of your concerts, maybe even break into your hotel room, and sleep in your bed every night.”
“You already do all that.”
“Ah. That makes it much so much easier. Do I need to kneel?”
She shook her head. “Please don’t. You’ll embarrass me.”
“More fun that way.” He started to bend.
Alexis grabbed him and pulled him up. Then she snatched the ring out of the box and put it on her ring finger. “I surrender. I mean, yes. Okay? Don’t kneel.”
He pulled her in for a kiss. “Thank you.” He pulled her in for another, deeper kiss. The dimple in his cheek got deep. His hand slipped down her side, then lower. The silk of her dress was smooth under his skin. “Where’s your underwear?”
“It’s a long story,” she sighed. “Some guy tried to run me over one night, and…”
Author notes
When I began to write “Dead in the Water” there were no plans for a sequel until Daniel Mills stepped on stage. One of the few things that I wanted to avoid was unbelievability, especially when the research I did pointed to slow, methodical case building, with rarely a conveniently quick ending. That meant the ending wasn’t what some had hoped for. It was the biggest complaint about the first book. It could have ended with Mills catching Whitehead, and everything is better again. But inside, I knew there was more to be written in this book-world. And the next step started with Chris DeSantos.
But writing his story took work. Unlike some characters who seem to pop into my head fully formed, Chris DeSantos didn’t want to give up his secrets. I knew he’d been shot when he was nineteen. I knew he blamed himself for getting his little brother involved (even though Tony begged for the opportunity). At one point the book started with that incident and the aftermath. Good stuff, but it took too long to build.
One thing stood out. A comment made by Lisa (their cousin) in the first book, “The man lines up his forks on their sides, facing left, in the drawer!” — in other words, Chris has control issues. His core wound emerged because he was supposed to be his father’s heir, then doubled down when he failed. In other words, he took the burden of responsibility too seriously. I needed someone to break him, but in such a way that he could recover and enjoy life. Alexis was born that very moment. She, unlike Chris, almost took over the book. But this is Chris’s story, too. I had to tell it mostly from his perspective. How he learns to loosen up, and how he comes to terms with his past.
Book world mistakes are mine. Atlantic City is a great location with a rich history and unique blend of city with resort charm. Next time I visit, I’ll take more time to wander around. Apologies if I got things wrong.
Next up, the guy that forced me to make this into a series, Daniel Mills. He’ll be in Philly, in his undercover role. What could go wrong?
Song list (in order, more or less)
This book was a lot of fun to write. It was enhanced, maybe even inspired, by the following songs and so many more there wouldn’t be room to mention them all. Check them out, buy them, support musicians, local to international.
Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
Flawless – Dorothy
Conflicted – Halestorm
Excuse My French – Caro Emerald
The Man I Love – Ella Fitzgerald
Hair of the Dog – Nazareth
Mississippi Queen – Mountain
Natural Born Sinner – In This Moment
You Call Me a Bitch Like it’s a Bad Thing – Halestorm
Ghost – The Pretty Reckless
Dirty Pretty – In This Moment
Cryin’ Wolf – ZZ Ward
Feel Good, Inc. – Gorillaz
Black Sheep – Gin Wigmore
Upside Down –Paloma Faith
Last Damn Night – Elle King
Rock Show – Halestorm
I Don’t Know – Blues Brothers
Acknowledgments
Appreciation goes out to the people who helped during the creation of this book. First to Full Bloom Editorial, their diligence saved readers from terrible comma attacks, and a mishmash of British English and American English spellings. Those mistakes would have confused the heck out of a lot of people. I’m extremely grateful.
To the romance writing and Indie community, MUCH love. Each month I learn more from you. I’m in your debt and in awe of how easy you make this career seem. If anything, I’m only scratching the surface of your collective knowledge. Consider me your sponge.
To Ali, Carolyn, Janine, Dolores, Kristen, (and everyone I’ve forgotten to mention) I want to voice my thanks for how much your support both in the day job and with feedback about my books has helped.
To the Global Brand and Creative Team: your expert feedback on the cover helped immensely.
Dominic, what can I say? You go above and beyond to support a wide variety of industry professionals. Your expertise and leadership have made a huge change to everyone around you. In addition to all that, you are a great bassist, and I won’t hold that against you. : )
To my girls, my life wouldn’t have been as rich without you both.
To Michael, thanks for letting me bounce (horrible) musician jokes off you. I know you have my back. That’s all anyone could ask for, isn’t it?
Cover photography under license purchased from
Dreamstime.com LLC.
You can find me on Twitter @shewulf6, but you might regret it; or follow the nice normal blog stuff here: https://www.arcaseauthor.com